Moving to the Middle East with a baby wasn’t exactly a twist Anna Burns-Francis saw coming. Photo / Babiche Martens
Moving to the Middle East with a baby wasn’t exactly a twist Anna Burns-Francis saw coming. Photo / Babiche Martens
After leaving TVNZ, the former Breakfast host is moving to the Middle East with her beloved daughter, Sophie.
Broadcaster Anna Burns-Francis has always been someone who’s up for an adventure, but moving to the Middle East with a baby wasn’t exactly a twist she saw comingwhen she headed off on maternity leave last year.
The former Breakfast host, who welcomed little Sophie in May 2024, had hoped to return to TVNZ, but after her role was caught up in a widespread restructure, she and husband Simon Gordon came up with plan B — a move to Dubai for Simon’s job, with Sophie and Burns-Francis’ mother Robyn going along for the ride, too.
“It’s really exciting,” says the former US correspondent for 1News, 39, catching up with Woman’s Day just days before she left New Zealand for her new life. She might be drowning in a sea of packing boxes when we chat, but she is feeling good.
Motherhood has given Anna a wonderful new sense of perspective. Photo / Babiche Martens
She loved her job at TVNZ, but motherhood has given her a wonderful new sense of perspective and being able to focus on the most important little person in her life has been the best silver lining.
She confesses, “I wouldn’t have chosen to be put in the position that I was, but I’ve never regretted for a moment the decision that I made. I got to have more time with Sophie, which has been wonderful, and now we’re off on a big adventure. It’ll be fun.”
And as she approaches her daughter’s first birthday, Burns-Francis says it’s lovely to reflect on their year of being a family of three. Motherhood, she says, is both the hardest job in the world and the best.
“You know the saying that the days are long but the years are short? Well, that already feels very true. Those first few weeks were the most challenging, with the sleep deprivation and learning how to feed, but once we got into the swing of things, it’s just been brilliant. She’s so much fun.”
She describes Sophie as a smiley baby who is full of energy. She learned to crawl at seven months and has barely stopped moving since.
The former TVNZ broadcaster describes her daughter as a smiley baby who is full of energy. Photo / Babiche Martens
“She’s one of those babies who wakes up happy,” Burns-Francis says. “She’s learning to pull herself up at the moment, and it’s so fun watching her discover all the things on top of the table or on top of the couch… She goes on these amazing races around the house. It’s such fun watching her grow and develop.”
One of the most beautiful things about motherhood has been the friendships she’s made in her antenatal group. Her bunch of mums and bubs met at least twice a week, with Burns-Francis sometimes hosting playgroup sessions at her home.
“Being a mum is so hard, right? People say you just need one friend who’s going through the same things, but I’ve got easily half a dozen that I can message at any hour and just be like, ‘Oh, my God, you won’t believe the day I’ve had.‘”
Burns-Francis admits to mixed feelings about her role on Breakfast ending. When she left on maternity leave last May, she fully intended on returning after the summer break — she had even hired an au pair in preparation.
Anna has mixed feelings about her role on Breakfast ending. Photo / Babiche Martens
Yet just before Christmas, she and her co-hosts, Chris Chang and Jenny-May Clarkson, were told TVNZ was proposing a restructure of the show and they’d need to reapply for their jobs.
It was a confronting moment for the dedicated journalist, but becoming a mum had given her a sense of clarity, and Burns-Francis walked out of that meeting knowing what she needed to do.
“I just decided the timing was right for me to do something different,” she says, admitting it might have been a different story if it weren’t for baby Sophie.
“I have such a new perspective on life.
“Being on maternity leave has been the longest break I’ve had from my career since university, and it actually helped give me some perspective as to what the best decision was going to be for me. If I’d still been going in there every day, I would’ve thought, ‘Oh, I can’t leave this place and these people.’
“Being a journalist, you work ridiculous hours, you do these off-the-wall stories and the only people who really understand your job are your colleagues, so you become really good friends with the people you work with.
“But being able to be away from the office definitely gave me some perspective that it was going to be okay, and I would still have a life outside of that job. I would have another job one day, and these big things happen. It was time to go with the flow.”
Anna's now focusing on her little girl and getting settled in a country she’s spent barely any time in. Photo / Babiche Martens
While Burns-Francis received job offers in New Zealand, she and tech entrepreneur Simon began thinking seriously about a move overseas. His company has bases in both Singapore and Dubai, so it made sense for him to be in that part of the world — and Burns-Francis, who moved back to Aotearoa in 2022 after several years based in New York, was ready for something new.
Her biggest hesitation was leaving friends and family behind, including Simon’s Kāpiti-based parents, Jenny and Jim, and her own mother Robyn, who have all played a huge part in Sophie’s life.
“Mum and Sophie are best friends – they have such a beautiful bond,” says Burns-Francis, who is delighted that Robyn, now known as Nonna, has decided to join them in the United Arab Emirates for at least the first few months.
“I wasn’t sure if she’d want to come along, but she said yes straight away. I think she just couldn’t bear being away from Sophie for too long.”
Burns-Francis will look for work in Dubai, but for the moment, she’s focusing on her little girl and getting settled in a country she’s spent barely any time in.
“I do want to have a job and get back to work, but I’m not in a rush,” she says. “I want to make sure it’s going to be a job that works for us because Si’s going to be working really hard.
“This is an amazing opportunity, and I want to make sure we enjoy the experience as well. I’m looking forward to new experiences and seeing new places. I love learning about other cultures.
“It’s a small but central part of the world, so we’ll be closer to other places that we want to explore in Europe, Asia and Africa. I’m just excited to have Sophie along for the ride, too. She makes everything more fun.”
